Mere sampling devices, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,618,393 and 3,817,108 to Principe et al, are known. These particular sampling devices use an evacuated cannister having an inlet, a valve controlling the inlet, a gas tube connected to the inlet, and a one-way valve for obtaining a desired gaseous sample. Other mere sampling devices are illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,800 and 3,518,804, both to Gerarde, as well as U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,271 to Young et al and Vacutainer Brand Tubes. The Gerarde patents show devices including, in each case, a capillary tube that is self-filled with a liquid, and a chamber connected to the capillary tube and having an opening 20. At column 4, lines 61-65, of the '804 patent, it is suggested that the liquid column may be transferred from the capillary tube to the chamber thereof by applying a mild aspirating force at end 20. The Young et al patent is directed to an apparatus for detecting free water in hydrocarbon fuels, and includes an evacuated container containing a reagent, and a cannula one end of which pierces through closure 22 so as to permit the fuel to be sampled, to be drawn into the container. The structure of the Vacutainer Brand Tubes, which can contain a diluent, is substantially the same as the apparatus of the Young et al patent.
Also known by me are pre-evacuated containers having a frangible tip, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,038 to Rampy and U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,769 to Rampy et al. This latter patent is directed to a disposable titration device that includes a connector that tightly fits over the frangible tip of the container thereof, the connector having within it a rigid bead of a size suitable for effecting a leak-tight seal in the connector, and the connector being of a material readily deformable by finger pressure. Also known in the prior art is a device for measuring surface tensions and viscosities, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,048,999 to Pochan. The device shown in FIG. 4 of this patent includes a capillary tube connected to a suction means in the form of a piston and cylinder, with a cock 25 in the communicating line. In using this device, a sample is drawn up the capillary tube by use of the suction means thereof. At column 4 of this patent, cleaning of the capillary tube is described as involving passing a series of cleaning fluids through the capillary tube to a plug 24 of absorbent material.
In the prior art, sampling and diluting devices are known, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,603,156 to Konkol, 3,676,076 to Grady, and 4,124,044 to Nugent, and the Unopette.RTM. device of Becton Dickinson. Each of these devices includes a capillary tube that is filled with a sample and a tube connected thereto having an opening. Dilution is effected in the Konkol and Grady devices by physically shaking the sample out of the capillary tube into a diluent; whereas, in the Nugent and Unopette.RTM. devices, a resilient container containing a diluent is squeezed slightly and the capillary tube is inserted into the container so that when pressure is released on the container, negative pressure draws the sample into the diluent. Also known in the prior art are dilution pipettes, which are used by drawing up the liquid to be diluted into the pipette by suction, closing the end to which the suction was applied, lowering the pipette into a diluent, and again applying suction until the total volume of fluid in the pipette reaches a certain calibration. The pipette is then shaken to effect dilution. Unfortunately, use of a dilution pipette is a slow and tedious way to obtain a specific dilution, the accuracy of the dilution depending upon the skill of the technician.
This art and all prior art of which I am aware, fails to provide a disposable device for sampling and diluting of a liquid to be diluted, and a process for sampling and diluting of the liquid, that are capable of providing an accurate dilution of a small volume of a liquid to be diluted, a wide-ranging dilution ratio on the order of from about 1:25 up to about 1:10,000 by appropriate equipment selection, and quantitative flushing of the liquid into a container by use of a diluent simultaneously with effecting a predetermined dilution of the liquid in the container. Additionally, this art does not provide a device and process of this type that make possible a rapid dilution. Furthermore, this art does not provide a device of this type that is capable of functioning as a "seal" between the diluted liquid and the ambient atmosphere. Moreover, this art does not provide a device of this type that, when easily modified after having been used for diluting the liquid, is suitable for storage and transportation of the diluted liquid and also can be used to dispense the diluted liquid in a drop-by-drop manner. Also, this art does not provide a device and process of this type, that are useful for sampling, diluting and analyzing.